Zoee is a partner in the firm’s Land Use and Real Estate practice groups. She works on complex real estate transactions, including public/private partnerships, as well as land use matters, including zoning, permitting, and appearing in front of planning commissions, city councils, and other public bodies. Zoee’s land use work includes appellate work in front of the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) and the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Her two practice areas – real estate and land use — often call on very different skill sets, with the former resting on Zoee’s deep understanding of the financial structure, risks, and critical deal points inherent in a transaction and the latter requiring translating a development project into an accessible narrative that allows political appointees to approve a contested entitlement.

Zoee’s ability to handle both a complex real estate transaction and a complex land use process speaks to her broad capabilities. Clients have commented that she has “next level attention to detail” and she loves to be a part of a project team.

Zoee’s project list includes, among others, transformative city projects such as the Providence Park expansion, home of the Timbers and Thorns, Zidell Yards, Portland’s largest vacant property on the west side of the river, and the City of Portland’s water filtration utility project, the largest public utility project in City history, which will deliver clean drinking water to nearly one million people and a quarter of the state’s population.

Zoee has a long history of being recognized by professional organizations and publications for her work in the fields of Land Use and Real Estate Law.

    • The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession, named her among the “Ones to Watch” in 2021 and every year since. This award in 2021 was particularly notable as it was the first year of her eligibility

    • Chambers USA named Zoee an Up and Coming Attorney in 2022 and 2023 and an Associate to Watch in 2021

    • Oregon Super Lawyers named her a Rising Star in 2023 and 2024

    • In 2018, she was selected as a Future Leader by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Portland

Her many speaking engagements include a class on land use law at Portland State University’s Center for Real Estate and presentations at the Oregon Land Use Law Seminar.

Zoee believes pro bono work and community service is an essential part of her work as a lawyer. Zoee was invited onto the Board of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, ironically after serving as opposing real estate counsel negotiating the sale of land to Habitat for the development of affordable housing. On the Board, Zoee helps ensure that Habitat continues to uphold and deliver on its mission. Zoee also facilitated a pro bono service contract to launch a new partnership with private developers to increase the delivery of affordable housing in our city.

Kids in Need of Defense (“KIND”) honored Zoee as the 2020 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her exceptional work representing families fleeing violence and seeking asylum. Zoee obtained legal status for a family of three seeking asylum in the United States and continues to work for that family, helping them navigate the complex path to citizenship. The award states in part: “Zoee is a committed, thorough, and passionate advocate, who is always thoughtful about how she should be doing more for her clients.”

Prior to joining RWPA, Zoee was a Law Clerk to Chief Justice Thomas A. Balmer of the Oregon Supreme Court, where she assisted the court by drafting and editing opinions and recommending action on petitions for review. She joined Radler White Parks & Alexander LLP in 2015.

Zoee earned her J.D., magna cum laude , from Georgetown University Law Center. Her honors included Order of the Coif, Dean’s List, and selection as a Global Law Scholar. She served as Editor in Chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Law and is still passionate about the Oxford comma.

Zoee has assisted ZRZ Realty in a public/private partnership with the City of Portland to redevelop 33 acres of formerly industrial land known as Zidell Yards in Portland’s South Waterfront. It is the largest undeveloped site in the City’s urban core.

Zoee was on the team that represented the City of Portland, the owner of Providence Park, in the preparation of a development agreement and other key documents with Peregrine Sports governing the expansion of the stadium, which is home to the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns professional soccer teams. RWPA’s work on behalf of Peregrine and the City was undertaken after consultation with ethics counsel, preparation of waiver letters, and establishment of ethical screens. Read more

Zoee has served as the primary legal counsel for discretionary land use entitlement for a drinking water filtration facility and related pipelines in Multnomah County, OR. The facility is required to remove Cryptosporidium from the water supply, comply with federal and state drinking water regulations, and to supply safe, reliable drinking water to nearly one million people (about a quarter of the state’s population). The Type III Conditional Use Review process requires more than 25 land use permits, including environmental overlay zones, landslide hazard areas, design review, review of a communications tower, and reviews related to the Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zone. Zoee and her co-counsel Renee France have led the process for preparation of the application, the post-hearing open record response process, and drafting of the final legal argument. After winning approvals by both Multnomah County and Clackamas County, case is currently on appeal at the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA); additional appeals could lead to the Court of Appeals and possibly the Oregon Supreme Court.

Zoee helped secured approval of a new high rise senior living development as an expansion of the Terwilliger Plaza complex. Zoee’s work was particularly focused on a complex administrative and political process for Portland City Council to approve a new skybridge crossing the public right of way.

  • Chambers USA, Industry Leader, Land Use and Zoning Law & Real Estate Law, 2024
  • Chambers USA, Up and Coming Attorney, Land Use and Zoning Law & Real Estate Law, 2022-2023
  • Chambers USA, Associates to Watch, Land Use and Zoning Law & Real Estate Law, 2021
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Land Use and Zoning Law & Real Estate Law, 2021-present
  • Oregon Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2023-2024
  • KIND Pro Bono Attorneys of the Year, 2020